The Island of Doctor Moreau — H G Wells

The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H G Wells The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat He is left on the island home of Doctor Moreau a mad scientist who creates human like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection The novel deals with a number of themes including pain and cruelty moral responsibility human identity human interference with nature and the effects of trauma Wells described it as an exercise in youthful blasphemy The Island of Doctor Moreau is a classic work of early science fiction and remains one of Wells s best known books The novel is the earliest depiction of the science fiction motif uplift in which a more advanced race intervenes in the evolution of an animal species to bring the latter to a higher level of intelligence It has been adapted to film and other media on many occasions